The objective: Many iron items are exposed to water. Though they are often protected by being alloyed to make steel or coated in zinc (galvanized), they all eventually rust. The purpose of my experiment is to determine whether or not iron exposed to ocean water needs to be protected more than that exposed to rainwater.

The "Seawater" bar ties average mass increased by 0.025 grams. The "Tap Water" bar ties average mass increased by 0.009 grams. The average mass of the "No Water" bar ties increased by 0.004 grams.

Conclusions/Discussion

Since the "Seawater" bar ties had the greater average mass increase, they must have rusted more than the tap water. These results are supported by visual observations, as well. This data proves the hypothesis correct that iron rusts faster when exposed to seawater than when exposed to tap water.

The project determine whether or not iron exposed to ocean water will corrode more than when exposed to
rainwater.